Hevrdejs & Conklin INC.

Peoria Boots Play In Hollywood

July 27, 1997|By Judy Hevrdejs and Mike Conklin.

Make all the jokes you want about Peoria being a trendsetter, but consider this: Caterpillar construction boots--yep, the same folks who build earthmovers also have their names on a line of boots--are a hot fashion item in Tinseltown, says Entertainment Weekly. Demi Moore has a pair, as do a lot of "ER" folks who did a me-too after Julianna Margulies showed up in 'em. Actually, a Cat representative tells INC. that Hollywood's slow on the get-hip scale--the boots have been huge sellers in Europe for about a year.

High ideas: What better place to write a book titled "Hemingway's Attic" than in Ernest's actual attic--which is what novelist William Elliott Hazelgrove ("Tobacco Sticks," "Ripples") is doing. The Oak Park resident needed a place away from home to start his next novel, spotted the Hemingway House and approached the Hemingway Foundation. The foundation's Jennifer Wheeler tells us that though the attic is off-limits to the public, they agreed to Hazelgrove's idea after reading his books. Says Hazelgrove: "For a writer, it's like writing in a church."

Eat beat: That was Sinbad "chilling out with family" Friday at Joe's Be-Bop Cafe at Navy Pier, though an autograph-seeking crowd besieged the comedian, who complied. . . . Seems celeb diners don't raise more than an eyebrow or two at Le Colonial, where late last week Alec Baldwin and Chris Farley were spotted (FYI: not together) dining quietly sans autograph seekers. . . . How does Frankie Avalon prep for his role in "Tony n' Tina's Wedding"? We hear that he has stopped--in tux--in the cigar parlor of Iron Mike's Grille a couple of times this week for a pre-show stogie.

Stage lights: Actor William L. Petersen heads to town for the League of Chicago Theatre's annual retreat and its panel, "Beyond Sibling Rivalry: How stage and screen can get along." Bill's a good choice--besides a movie career ("Cousins," TV's "Return to Lonesome Dove"), he was a member of the former Remains Theater troupe and will be here next May at Victory Gardens. . . . Actress Jasmine Guy will be the honored guest at the Chicago Dance Coalition's Ruth Page Awards in September at the Westin River North.

Story lines: When NBC's "ER" tackles the paternity issue this fall (something along the lines of a young doc fessing up to fathering a baby), credit Donna Garvey-Shula of the Illinois Department of Public Aid's child support division. She wrote to the "ER" team suggesting the issue be addressed, and they told her they agreed and followed through.

Reel life: Will Woody Harrelson and Vince Vaughn team to star in a cop drama that's being called "The French Connection" meets "The Mod Squad"? Stay tuned. . . . Nathan Lane ("Birdcage") will reportedly star in "The Best Man," a romantic comedy about a mental patient who escapes from an institution to be the best man at his childhood friend's wedding.